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The American Astronomical Society (AAS) held their annual meeting in Seattle, Washington during the second week in January, and Dr. John Mather, Nobel Prize winning scientist at NASA Goddard was there to talk about the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). JWST is scheduled for launch in 2013. JWST will find the first galaxies that formed in the early Universe, connecting the Big Bang to our own Milky Way Galaxy.

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is a large space telescope, scheduled for launch in 2013.

Image above: A life-sized model of the JWST was recently on display at the AAS annual meeting in Seattle, Washington. It stands two stories high and weighs several tons. Photo Credit: Rob Gutro, NASA/GSFC

JWST will find the first galaxies and will peer through dusty clouds to see stars forming planetary systems, connecting the Milky Way to our own Solar System. JWST's instruments will be designed to work primarily in the infrared range of the electromagnetic spectrum, with some capability in the visible range.

This full-scale JWST model was built by Northrop Grumman to give the viewing public a better understanding of the size, scale and complexity of this breakthrough satellite. Specifically designed for an environment subject to gravity and weather, the model is constructed mainly of aluminum and steel, weighs 12,000 lbs., and is approximately 80í long, 40í wide and 40í tall. A specially manufactured material imported from France called Ferrari Precontraint allows the sunshield to 'breathe'.

The model requires 2 trucks to ship it and assembly takes a crew of 12 approximately four days.
The JWST model has traveled to the following sites since 2005: Space Symposium, Colorado Springs, Colo.; Paris Air Show, Paris, France; NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.; Rochester Museum and Science Center, Rochester, N.Y.; and the International Society for Optical Engineering and Instrumentation Conference, Orlando, Fla.

Funds used to build this model were provided solely by Northrop Grumman.